Let Children Learn From Life

Because we love our children, we sometimes tend to over protect them but we must remember that over protection is not helpful to the children. How will they learn from life if we always solve their problems for them?

While the children are still learning about life, it is wise to give them room to solve some problems by themselves. There is no exact age when we should let them struggle and figure things out by themselves. But we should give them space and allow the children to struggle through a problem to a solution or experience the consequences of their decisions.

We must not abandon our children though. When undue frustration builds or a situation becomes dangerous, we need to step in and help. Stepping in as a counselor or coach is the best way. Jesus used this approach with his disciples. He allowed Peter to walk on the water and fail but was close by to pick him up again. When the disciples failed at healing the epileptic boy, Jesus taught them a more complete way.

Some of the most valuable lessons come from experience. If parents can make the switch from rescuer to coach, children will learn more and develop wisdom. So the next time you see your child struggling,let us put on the coach’s hat and watch learning take place.

Comments

The chance to do things, make mistakes, and learn from them is one thing that I’ve been really impressed with in Boy Scouting. Many events are planned and executed by the boys, with adult input only when really needed. For example, I heard about a troop that went on a 5-mile hike under the navigation of the boys and they took a wrong turn. The adults knew about the error, and they let them get “lost”. What ended up doubling in distance to 10 miles made for a great learning experience!